


Home to Me

by Yatzstar



Series: Peni and Noir [4]
Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Genre: Bullying, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Gen, Noir is a good dad, Parent-Child Relationship, mentions of bullying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2020-01-14 19:58:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18483322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yatzstar/pseuds/Yatzstar
Summary: Noir notices Peni's odd mood one night, and they have a heart-to-heart.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to make note that the song used in this fic is NOT MINE! It is an altered version of a song in the book series Tales of Goldstone Wood by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. I thought it would fit very nicely for this fic, however. I would highly recommend the aforementioned book series if you enjoyed Lord of the Rings, Narnia, or anything like that. Thanks for reading!

_Go to sleep, my good boy_

_My good boy, go to sleep_

_Where did my good boy go?_

_Far across the eastern sea,_

_Then home to me, then home to me._

 

The strains of a familiar song reached Noir’s ears from where he crouched on the rooftop far above the street. It was late at night, and the woman was finishing sweeping the storefront before going home. She had nothing to do with him; she was oblivious to the dark shadow perched high above her. However, it was a bad neighborhood, and a lone woman, especially an older one such as she, was prey for the goons that frequented the streets.

She continued singing the song as she briefly reentered the store to hang up the broom and put on her coat. Noir knew the song just as well as anyone who had lived during the time of the Great War; it was a lullaby sung by mothers in prayerful hope that their sons would return from the war alive and unscathed. To hear it sung these days was usually an indication that the singer’s sons had returned alive. Those who did not sing...Noir did not want to dwell on the thought. It was too gloomy, even for him.

The woman exited the store and locked the door, signaling that she was done for the night. Noir followed her, ensuring her safety while also keeping an ear out for any potential distress calls. Fortunately, the woman made it safely to her building, so Noir spent the next half-hour patrolling the neighborhood. He heard no cries for help, so he turned in early, grateful for the extra rest.

As he climbed through the window into his apartment, he was met with intermittent flashes and dings from the dimensional transporter sitting on his desk, signaling that the other Spiders were having a conversation. Pulling his hat and mask off, he walked over to the little patch of color, hitting the button that brought up the messages.

_Peter: how about pizza at my place this weekend?_

_Miles: whats the catch_

_Peter: why do you always assume there’s a catch??_

_Gwen: cuz there always is one_

_Peter: there’s no catch I swear_

_Peter: but I might need some willing hands to clean some stuff_

_Miles: SEE?_

_Peter: whatever it’d be a huge favor_

_Ham: I'm no workhorse!_

_Gwen: no you’re a workpig_

_Ham: >:8C_

_Gwen: sorry that wasn’t funny_

_Ham: no it wasn’t_

_Peter: you guys wanna do it or not??_

_Miles: yeah but next time I have to clean my room you have to help_

_Gwen: same_

_Ham: same_

_Peter: fine_

_Miles: @Noir @ Peni you guys in?_

_Peni: sorry I was busy! Yeah I want some pizza ^w^_

_Peter: you have to clean my apartment in exchange_

_Peni: >-> you have to help me clean my room too_

_Peter: omg_

_Gwen: what about tall dark and gloomy_

_Ham: probably busy being mysterious_

_Miles: same tho_

_Gwen: miles you couldn’t be mysterious if you tried_

_Miles: well my outfit isn’t white and pink_

_Gwen: what’s that got to do with it????_

_Miles: pink isn’t mysterious_

_Peni: yeah it is_

_Gwen: ^^^_

This was where the conversation ended as Noir picked up his transporter. He huffed softly in amusement at the messages before slowly typing in one of his own.

_Noir: Pizza sounds like a swell idea. I don’t have anything to clean, but I'll make him pay me back somehow._

_The replies were almost instantaneous._

_Peni: yay! ^-^_

_Gwen: I have a couple of payback ideas..._

_Peter: ignore everything she says Noir. Saturday at 6._

 

The rest of the week was relatively uneventful Noir. He shot a couple of tires out on escaping cars and punched a few guys as was standard for him, but by the time the weekend rolled around, he was ready to unwind with his friends.

He landed outside Peter’s door, and he could tell by the chatter within that most if not all of the others were already present. This was to be expected, however, as his lack of technological prowess made him a little slower when teleporting to places.

The door was unlocked, so he stepped inside quietly. Peter's place, though not nearly as bad as it once was, left much to be desired. Random clutter lay strewn about everywhere. Furniture seemed to be placed at random, and his bed was still a mattress on the floor. All the Spiders were squished together on the couch, with the Sp//dr mech crouched behind it.

“Noir!” Peni leapt off the ratty couch and ran to him, squeezing his middle in a tight hug. For not possessing super-strength, she could give a strong hug when she wanted. Noir ruffled her hair gently, surprised by the intense display of affection. She didn’t typically greet him with a hug, not that he minded terribly.

“Hey, kid,” he returned, ignoring the joking “awws” of the other Spiders.

“What kind of pizza do you like?” Peter asked, indicating the stack of pizza boxes on the table.

“Er, you got cheese?”

“Are you sure you don’t want to try pineapple?” Gwen asked.

“Don’t try it,” Miles said with a disgusted grimace. “It’s terrible.”

“You think that because you don’t have any culture.”

“I think that because I _have_ culture!”

Peter rolled his eyes at the ensuing debate. “Whatever. Help yourself, man.”

“Thanks.” Noir pulled off his hat and mask, fishing his glasses out of his pocket and sticking them on the tip of his nose. Pizza was more of a delicacy in his time, so to have it offered easily was a foreign (yet not unwelcome) concept to him.

He grabbed two slices of the overly-greasy pizza and sat down on one end of the couch. Peni came after him and sandwiched herself in between him and Miles.

“Good stuff, isn’t it?” Ham asked from his place on the back of the couch, before stuffing an entire slice in his mouth.

“Yeah...” Noir said, slightly put off by how wide his mouth had stretched.

“Who wants to play some Wii?” Peter asked, hoping to dispel the pineapple argument Gwen and Miles were still having.

“Wii?” Miles asked, looking over at Peter. “Don’t you mean Mii?”

“In my universe it’s called Yuu,” Gwen said.

“Same difference,” Peter said, fishing out the old console from a pile of junk next to the TV. “I can kick your butt at Mario Kart in any dimension!”

“Oh yeah? I’m the Luigi Kart champ! Bring it on!” Miles challenged.

“Psh, I’m gonna beat both of you,” Gwen said.

It was then that Noir realized something was amiss. He didn’t know if he could attribute it to his Spider-Sense, or perhaps his intuition as a private eye, but he noticed that Peni was not her usual self. At the mention of competition, she would normally be all over trying to beat Miles and Gwen, but now she just sat next to him, her stare distant, her forehead puckered in a small frown. She had hardly said a word to him, as opposed to the normal stream of chatter.

If the other Spiders noticed her abnormally quiet mood, they did not say anything about. Noir opened his mouth, considering asking her what was bothering her, but thought against it. He would wait for a time when they were alone. He worked better when it was just him, and when it came to Peni she was no exception.

“How’s school goin’?” he asked, gently nudging her in the hope of getting something out of her.

She blinked and looked up at him as if she were just now noticing he was there. “Hm? Oh, it’s going okay I guess. It's a lot of work and sometimes I have to do homework instead of going out with Sp//dr.”

“Have you made any changes?”

At that, her eyes brightened a little and she started talking about some upgrades she had made. It all flew way over Noir’s head, but he was happy to just listen to her talk. Her change in attitude eased the concern he felt, and he likened her quietness to her pulling one too many all-nighters. With that in mind, he relaxed fully and enjoyed himself.

The night wore on. Peter, Gwen, and Miles each won several matches of Mario Kart, whilst Ham tried to provide tips to them, which usually proved to be more unhelpful than helpful. They even earned a few chuckles from Noir when Miles stood up in a victory dance, only for Gwen to web one of his feet and send him tumbling to the floor.

Eventually it was Peter who came out on top, his long years of playing Mario Kart giving him the victory. Miles and Gwen pouted a little, giving him glares when he gloated in his victory. Their pouts quickly turned to laughter, however, when Miles threw a pillow and hit him square in the head.

Peter pulled out an old VHS tape of Disney’s Robin Hood and put it in the TV, leaving the volume just loud enough to hear as he turned out the lights. They all squished together on the couch, Miles using Peter as a pillow and Gwen using Miles. Ham situated himself across Gwen and Peni’s laps, Gwen curling her arm around him as if he was a stuffed animal. Peni leaned heavily against Noir as he sat enraptured by the animation playing on the screen, her breathing slowing as she drifted off. Eventually, Noir’s eyes began to close, and though he desperately wanted to see the movie play out, the pull of sleep proved too much, and soon he was asleep.

 

A small movement woke him. When he opened his eyes, it was still dark, the faint light from the now blank TV providing illumination. He became aware of the cold spot at his side, and he instinctively moved his hand for Peni, only to find that she wasn’t there.

A tiny noise came from his right, and he turned his head slowly to see the cause. He saw what was undeniably Peni’s small silhouette at the living room window. He watched as she slowly and quietly opened the window, climbing out onto the fire escape. She didn’t do anything more however, merely leaning against the railing and looking out over the roof of the building next door.

Noir watched her for a few minutes, the only sound being Peter and Ham’s raucous snores. His first assumption had been right; something was wrong. When she slept next to him, she remained attached to him for the entire night, not leaving even when dreams plagued her.

He couldn’t leave it alone, not now. His concern was too great to be ignored, something Peter jokingly referred to as the “Dad-Sense”, and though Noir that it was just a silly name, he was starting to think the other man was right.

He rose off the couch slowly so as not to disturb the others. He picked his way across the cluttered room to the window, peeking out onto the fire escape. Peni still stood there, the cool night breeze catching her hair.

“Hey, kid,” he called softly.

Peni turned her head slightly, seeming unsurprised that he was there. “Hey.”

“Mind if I join you?”

“No.”

He stepped out onto the fire escape, his boots clunking heavily against the metal. He leaned against the railing alongside her, trying to think of the right words to say to her.

“Somethin’ bothering you?” he asked at last.

She glanced at him, her expression one of mild surprise. “How’d you know?”

“I can just tell. You mind telling me what’s eatin’ at you?”

She was silent for a few moments, and he was beginning to think that she wouldn’t tell him until she spoke. “Have you ever felt…helpless?”

Noir didn’t know what he had been expecting from her, but it wasn’t that. “Yeah…what d’you mean by helpless?”

“Like you’re weak and can’t do anything to protect yourself?”

“Yeah…” Noir said softly, wondering where the conversation was going.

“I know I could protect myself if I had the option.” Her hands clenched around the metal railing. “If my identity as Sp//dr wasn’t a secret, I would show them.” She fell silent then, letting out a big sigh.

Noir turned to look at her. Her frustration was more than evident on her face; her normally sweet disposition was marred by a deep scowl, her eyes turned down to the alleyway below. The pieces were starting to form a bad picture, one that definitely explained her strange mood.

“Peni,” he said, “is somebody bullying you?”

He received no response, her eyes remaining trained downwards.

“Peni,” he repeated, inserting a note of firmness into his tone. “You gotta tell me, darlin’.”

“They’re high-schoolers,” she said at last, her voice barely above a whisper. “That’s what I get for being so smart. Everyone is older than me, and typically bigger. They pick on me because I’m younger and smaller. Sometimes they just say stuff, sometimes they shove me around.”

Noir clenched his jaw. The mere thought of her being treated in such a way made him furious. “How long has this been goin’ on?”

“Several months now, I guess.”

The estimation astonished him. “Why didn’t you tell us sooner?”

“I thought they’d leave me alone eventually or get tired of it, but they haven’t.” She looked so despondent Noir had to restrain himself from sweeping her into his arms. “I try to ignore them but that just makes them try harder. This week was really bad. They stole my lunch and kept insulting me till I snapped and yelled at them…and that only made them laugh at me more.”

“Have you told your aunt and uncle?”

“Yeah…but they just told me to handle it by myself.”

Noir had known her Uncle Ben and Aunt May weren’t exactly parenting role models, but that piece of information solidified his notion that they were useless.

“They call me weak and stupid.” She sniffled a little. “If I could tell them I was Sp//dr, they’d leave me alone.”

“Oh, Peni,” he sighed, drawing her into his embrace. “You know you’re not either of those things. You’re one of the most amazing gals I’ve ever met and I almost hate to think of what you’ll be like when you’re grown, because you’ll be unstoppable.”

Peni looked up at him, a watery smile on her face. “You think so?”

“I know so,” he replied, wiping the couple of tears that had escaped from her eyes off of her cheeks. “They’re just some goons who are afraid of how brilliant you are.”

Peni’s smile faded. “I wish I could live with you, Noir.”

“I know, doll, but you don’t fit in much with the scum in my dimension. You’re too good for them.”

She fiddled with one of the buttons on his vest. “Ever since I met you…all of you, really, my dimension has felt less and less like home.”

“What d’you mean?”

“I thought Uncle Ben and Aunt May were the best I could get until I met you. You…care about me more than they do.”

Noir swallowed hard. It was painful to think that she had gone for so long without someone to properly care about her.

“I hope I’m doing a good job,” he said hoarsely.

 “You are,” she murmured against his chest. “That’s why my dimension doesn’t feel like home anymore…because I’m at home with you.”

That was a sentiment Noir knew quite well. He often found himself looking forward to a chance to leave the turmoil and trial of his dimension and be with her, his friends. After the revelation that they were not the only Spiders, his home became with them, the people that understood him. His dimension was where he lived, but it wasn’t home, not anymore.

“If only I could stay with you and not deal with those bullies,” she sighed.

“I know, but your dimension needs you, doll,” he said gently, though he hated to admit it. “Every dimension needs a Spider, because without it crime would be out of control. No one would have a hero to look up to.”

“I guess dealing with bullies is part of the job.”

“No,” he said firmly. “If those goons bother you again, you call me. I don’t care what I’m doin’, I’ll come to you. Sp//dr can deal with bullies, but Peni might need some backup.”

“You sure you want to do that?” she asked. “You don’t exactly fit in.”

“I don’t care what happens so long as I protect my girl. Those twits just need to see what happens when somebody messes with you.”

“You can’t hurt them,” she said. “They might be bullies but they’re just kids.”

“I won’t hurt ‘em…much.” Peni whacked him on the arm and he chuckled a little. “Alright, alright, doll. I’ll just scare ‘em into leaving you alone.”

“Good.” She smiled up at him, adoration and gratitude shining in her eyes. “Thank you, Noir.”

“Anything for you, Peni,” he said, bending to kiss her on the top of her head. “You know, you’re welcome to swing by my place anytime.”

“I’ll definitely keep that in mind,” she said. “It’ll be like time-travel!”

Noir just huffed and ruffled her hair. “C’mon kid, let’s get back to bed.”

They climbed back into Peter’s apartment, shutting the window behind them. Gently, they wedged themselves back onto their tiny piece of the couch, Peni curling up on Noir’s lap.

“Sleep well, doll,” he whispered to her. “Don’t worry about those bullies. I’ll take care of them.”

“I love you, _oto-san_ ,” she sighed.

“I love you too, darlin’,” he replied, gently stroking her hair. He sang under his breath, the quiet words lulling her to sleep.

 

_Go to sleep, my good girl_

_My good girl, go to sleep_

_Where did my good girl go?_

_Across the boundaries of this world,_

_Then home to me, then home to me._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't resist adding an extra tidbit of fluff! Thank you for your comments and enjoy!

The school day was at an end. Drek and Luther left the school soon after the last bell rang, knowing well where the prodigy pipsqueak would be sitting. Though they had tormented her aplenty at that spot, she still sat on the same bench, waiting for the hoverbus to come pick her up. 

If she saw them approaching, she didn’t act like it, digging out a handful of candy from the bag next to her and popping the sweets into her mouth. Drek and Luther started towards her; if she was a prodigy, she didn’t show it by sitting at one of the most secluded bus stops on the school premises, where they would be free to bother her without a teacher intervening. 

“Hey kid!” Drek called as they approached. “How about you give us that candy?” 

She barely acknowledged them, focused on the device around her wrist. “No thanks.” 

Luther scoffed and Drek sneered as they stopped in front of her. “’No thanks’ isn’t gonna stop us.” 

She looked up at them, her expression calculating. “I wouldn’t take it if I were you.” 

“What’re you gonna do, pipsqueak?” Luther taunted. 

She did not reply. 

“Finally ran out of things to say?” Drek reached for the bag, only for his fingers to stop just short of it. Another hand, gloved in black, had come out of nowhere and caught his wrist in an iron grip. Drek looked up in surprise to see a man standing behind the bench, dressed entirely in black. He blended with the shadows so well that his presence had gone completely unnoticed by them beforehand. 

“Hey fellas,” the man rumbled, shoving Drek’s arm back with such a force that it sent him stumbling back into Luther. He vaulted over the bench easily, coming to stand between them and Peni. 

Drek and Luther just stared at the man. There was something unnatural about him, the way he looked. Light glinted off the goggles inset in his mask, but it did not return any of the neon color, only white. It was as if he were a walking shadow. Drek shot a look at Peni, who smiled back sweetly. 

“I’ve been told you twits have been givin’ Peni a hard time,” said the dark man. 

Drek swallowed, unsure of what to make of the situation. Luther, however, went on the defense, despite how terribly weak it was. “We were just joking around.” 

The dark man made a sound like a scoff. “Yeah, and I’m a monkey’s uncle.” 

Peni giggled behind him. 

He took a step towards them both, and they instinctively backed up. They considered themselves big for high-schoolers, but they were nowhere near as tall as he, and his strange otherworldliness only added to the intimidation. 

“Clean your ears out and listen because I’m only gonna say this once,” he growled. “I’m letting you lugs off easy. You apologize to her and leave her alone from now on and we’ll leave it at that. But if I hear you’ve harassed her again after this, I won’t be so forgiving.” 

“You can’t make us apologize!” Luther said, attempting to call his bluff. 

That was the wrong thing to say. Two strands of webbing shot out from his wrists, capturing both boys and yanking them into his waiting hands. He grabbed them by their collars and lifted them off the ground. They stared, horrified, as his shadowy face loomed inches from theirs, all bravado gone as the hung helpless in the clutches of a man far more powerful than them. 

“Can’t I?” he snarled. With that, he spun them both around so he held them by the backs of their shirts and forced them to face Peni, who still smiled sweetly. “Now, apologize to her.” 

When they hesitated, he shook them roughly. “Now!” 

“We’re sorry!” Drek cried out, looking close to tears. “We’ll never bother you again, we promise!” 

“Yeah, we’ll leave you alone, we swear!” Luther echoed, looking equally terrified. 

Peni rested her hand on her chin, adopting an expression of mock consideration. “Do you think I should accept their apologies, Noir?” 

“Whatever you think is best, doll,” he said, his tone no longer harsh. 

“Please, just let us go!” Drek wailed, trying in vain to escape Noir’s iron hold. 

Peni sat there for a moment longer before saying, “I accept your apologies. You can let them go, Noir.” 

He did as she asked, sending both bullies crumpling to the ground, “Not so fun when you’re on the receiving end, huh?” 

Drek and Luther cast a final terrified look at Noir’s figure and Peni smiling at them before taking off running, tripping over themselves in the process. Both Noir and Peni watched them go, and when they were finally out of sight, Peni burst into a fit of giggles. 

“Think I scared ‘em enough, doll?” Noir asked, a hint of amusement entering his normally monotone growls. 

“You-you should’ve seen the looks on their faces!” Peni gasped between giggles. “They looked like they were about to pass out!” 

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.” Noir extended a hand to her, and she took it gladly, hopping off the bench. 

“I don’t think they’ll ever bother me again,” she said gladly, and wrapped her arms around his middle. “Thank you, Noir.” 

“Of course,” he said gently. “How about we get outta here and get an egg cream or somethin’?” 

“That sounds like a good idea.” Peni activated her transporter and took his hand again as they vanished in a flash of light, at home with each other.


End file.
